ADAM SANDLER'S WIPEOUT IS NO LAUGHING MATTER

Comedian Adam Sandler was the one in stitches after a surfing accident in Hawaii sent him to the hospital with his head split open.

"Adam had a major wipeout on the first big wave he tried to catch, smashing his head on his board," said a friend. Sandler had been working on his latest film, "Spanglish," for the last four months when he decided to fly off to Hawaii for a vacation.

HEAD FOR THE WAVES

Minutes after the "Big Daddy" star and his wife Jackie checked into Honolulu's Kahala Mandarin Oriental, he grabbed his surf instructor and headed for the waves.

"Adam is becoming a better surfer all the time, but he is still a novice," said the friend. "He tried to catch a monster wave that came in. He lost his balance, slipped off the board and had a wild wipeout! The board popped up out of the water about seven feet in the air and then came crashing down on his head.

"You could hear the thud when the board connected with his skull. His head cracked open and blood spurted into the water.

"Luckily, his instructor was there to help Adam out of the water and onto shore."

BUMMER, DUDE

The star was rushed to a hospital, where he needed 15 stitches to sew up the gash.

"Adam was really bummed because the doctors told him he wasn't supposed to surf for the rest of his trip," said the friend. -- TIM PLANT